cora's tale
by corabob
Summary: she's cornerd... what's there to do but begin story telling?


Not prevailing series

Cora's tale

by: Cora Douske

"On the day I turned seven summers old my mother was cold heartedly murdered. I revered my brother as some sort of god, his intimidating yet friendly and all knowing presence was enough to help me forget I never had a father. My father proudly died in the war between our country and Keko the country who tried to take over ours, though they failed miserably. I didn't know much about him except that he was a good fighter. My mother was often sick and her time spent in the hospital kept her away. It pains me to tell of this again though it's all I can do to prevent you from making the mistakes of my past." Cora spoke to a human woman with fiery red hair and facial expressions cast with nothing but anger and hate. The woman's sword was extended to Cora ready to attack at any moment though Cora spoke as though she were preaching to a village child and she were the elder. "My brother killed my mother when I was only seven seasons old. How was I to know what really went on? I ran from home that day. I had though that was to be the end of it, I would never think of him again…"

She paused for a moment a smirk cast across her morbid visage as she chuckled for a moment. "I would bring two things with me of importance, the creature that would become my only companion, bob the green war-dog, and the dagger that my brother had crafted for me. My brother had given me the dagger when I was barley able to walk; the foolish man always pushed me further. Hoping that I would be some prodigy child, a master of fighting. He wanted me to become a pawn for the government that he had fought for, as well as father. The same government that would later condemn me to a life of misery and hell." She sighed leaning her head back to look up at the stars, "how ironic eh?

I traveled on my own for only a winter before the men began to track me down. It took men of all types. People after this fabled reward for my safe return that my brother offered, men trying to reunite a lost family or bring a poor lost child home. Many tried to reason with my simplistic mind. I would have none of it though, I was afraid that he would kill me just as my mother was killed. At such a young age… can you fathom death? Can you fathom fearing it? Can you even understand death at that age? I guess I proved that you could. By the age of ten summers I had acquired a sword from a kind traveler whom I had run into, it was nice, having a new weapon to use, the dagger was unfortunately growing slightly dull from its constant use. Not to long afterwards I ran into some others of my own race… some other halflings you know… they were priests of our goddess Yondolla… I had though I found a sanctuary, a place where the evils of the past three years could just vanish. Every year since my mother died I had visited her grave. The priestesses were reluctant to let me stop my studies for a little while so I could return to the burial site, I had promised I would return to them. I did as I promised though it was only two days later when I returned. I was on the back of a dragon, bob had not returned with me she had been left behind… an evil man was riding the dragon holding me there. And when we landed he forced me inside unable to go himself… while nobody was looking I was forced to steal an ancient stone from our altar… only one more full moon of studies and I could have become a full fledged devout priestess. One more full moon… the fact that I stole began the down slide of my life. Yondolla shunned me and I lost all the power I had gained from studying as her priestess. Yondolla had given the powers to each priestess; it wasn't a learned thing so much as a power that was granted. The only ability I managed to keep was my ability to heal, and that was only because my big brother had taught me how to use that spell. Certain words in our ancient language had the power to use magic, but it wore out the body to use any one but the one to heal, so over time I had forgotten even what they were let alone how to use them with out killing my self.

I was devastated, no goddess, no mother, no father… I had nothing except for bob, and even bob was slowly growing older and tiring with age. There wasn't much I could do…" she sighed looking back to the woman, "except for begin to develop hate for this man, both of them whom had hurt me so badly, who had broken me. I had a spirit still, a will to survive; though it was too much at such a young age. The hate welled up with in me, until I was eighteen summers old this miserable existence went on and men came to try and capture me and return me to my brother, in which I refused to abide by their rules and laws, to do as they told me. That year, only one-day before I was to go to my mother's grave, I found my self, wandering on the territory that I once called my home. It was barren and worn down… a lot had changed in the past eleven seasons that I wasn't there to prevent from happening. The house seamed as though it was to fall apart any moment and that nobody had been there in at least half a decade. The once full stables were barren and rotting from the top down part of it had caved in upon its self. Sure the house had been old when I left home but this was different, it was neglected now. I heard a voice coming from behind me, my sword across my back and my dagger at my side I prepared my self for a fight that I suspected would soon commence… "Who are you?" they asked, "Why are you here… the town is in the other direction… you are trespassing woman, please leave now."

Loosening my dagger from its sheath I turned around quickly. The sight before me was amazing; the first thing I recognized was his sword at his side and the stance he stood in. Then my eyes wandered to the mans face, and his cold dead orbs in which he looked upon me with, and the scar across his cheek, a simple slash but he had never healed it completely for some reason or another. It was the man I revered so much as a young child, yet now wished death upon so badly… and he didn't even recognize me. It seamed for a moment the way he looked at me that recognition had been found but he shook his head and simply laughed. He laughed at himself for foolish memories that he had obviously tried to forget, though always held onto.

"You shouldn't be here young one… go back to your parents… this world is not for the weak…"

It was true he had no idea who I was, he thought I was some one who resembled his little sister in many ways or possibly a figment of his now crazy mind. As I told him who I was he did not believe me at first… he told me over and over that I was dead until I provided the dagger he had given me, with the inscription on the blade, 'I love you little sister.' And on the reverse of the blade, "may Yondolla keep you."

It was of course inscribed in the halfling language. As I provided the proof needed he seamed utterly frightened, it was true that every day of my foul existence I trained, I worked my self hard in hopes to be able to some day surpass him in strength, but I had not fathomed it to be so soon. I prepared my self for an attack utter joy and contempt coursing through my body… he bowed his head, removing the hood from shadowing his face. And of all things he said to me that he deserved death, but that I must understand why he killed her first… I did not listen to him. Before a moment had passed the same dagger he had made for me seventeen years before, was now shoved into his ever-slowing heart. The beats slowed to a stop as I felt the dagger convulse inside his heart as the heart tried to pump. His body fell limp and I only smiled… a burden had been lifted from me and it was the most wonderful thing in the world as I remember it now, its true I laughed, I laughed shrieking with sheer joy. I allowed my head to fall back and the wind blow through my hair for just a moment before I moved on with the same demented smile still cast across my face. It was utterly amusing that my brother died the day before the anniversary of my mothers death, and by his own creation…"

Cora saw the woman falter, it seamed the sword was growing heavy, "Enough talk! You have told me what you wished, now you shall die for all the pain and suffering you caused my father and brother… your family was screwed up, so what do I care?"

"Yes I got my revenge, and ill admit at the moment in time there couldn't have been anything sweeter then to hear the sound of death protruding from his gasping mouth. His blood finally poisoned the ground with its relentlessly flowing red stain of a puddle. The sad solemn expression cast across his heartbroken face to be left that way for eternity, it was sweet… but that is not the point of my story, I tell you this story not only to explain my situation, but to explain how your father and brother died."

She said calmly though the morbid smile had returned and didn't seam to disappear through out this little tale of hers, "that is when I became recognized as an outlaw to the government in which I was supposedly destined to serve under. That day I remember a bounty hunter coming across me, back then the bounty was a mere ten gold for the little halfling after all I had only really killed one person he might have been important to the high class government but none the less still just one man. All of the men before I had only fatally wounded, they died several days after their attacks on me of unknown reasons."

She spoke as if she knew more about the 'unknown reasons' then she was going to let on, "but now I had a murder over my head, and they immediately recognized that it was me who had done it. I'm not sure how, though they did. A bounty had been placed over my head I believe in mostly speculation of my crimes. As time went on, I grew more demented, and my reason for living grew muttled in my nightmares. Every bounty hunter who attacked me, did so relentlessly… I wouldn't kill a man unless I had to; I had to survive in order to kill the man who had ruined my life. I believe with all my heart that had I never met the man who striped me of my powers, the man who threatened my life if I did not steal for him. Bob was yet again, my only comfort in this devastating world. She protected me from every thing right down to the squirrels that might have attacked viciously had she not been watching… any creature was a threat to her, you wouldn't believe how many times I awoke to find her growling at some rabbit who had passed by only minuets before. I just laughed it off, saying the rabbit must have given me an evil glare. In the times where I allowed my self to sleep I would often have nightmares of the day I ran away, and the day that I had killed my big brother… it scared me and I cried in my dreams. When I awoke to these dreams I would find bob snuggling close to me wrapping around my body to block the wind like a mother would do to a child. The attacks from bounty hunters persisted, and as time went on the bounty grew because the men who would not leave me be, I killed. I murdered them in protection of my own life." Her expression was serious as she moved closer to the red haired woman who's sword was shaking only slightly now, but none the less shaking. "You blabber on now, just to waste my time! Ill kill you now, you deserve death and you said so your self." She ran forward attacking the old halfling woman who just evaded the attack with a simple step to the side, "you will listen to my story before you make your decision on weather I deserve to die or not… on weather you want to share my fate of misery."

"I'll not feel bad for killing you, you vile wretch of a creature… you must die!" She swung her sword again but before the sword hit the halfling woman's neck it sang loudly of metal clanking against metal… Cora had withdrawn her dagger and blocked the attack with a very unnerving ease.

"You don't need to feel bad for killing me, I am a vile creature, but I do not want you to think every person who has wronged you deserves death, I do deserve death but yet, not by your hands. There are others I have wronged far more then you… and yes I understand your loss.

It is the battle between me and your father and brother, both valiant men. They came with a crew of ten men; I remember this battle in particular because of several important events. Your father stood before me, and smiled in a way that would have struck fear in the deep roots of any sane persons' soul. He made sure I was the target, still being only 24 summers old I was young. The halfling child who killed over four hundred men and four women with out care. Of course nobody knew about the first woman I had killed, making the total five. And nobody ever shall… for that event I have attempted to strike from my memory for all time, that event disturbs me more then any other… even the death of my brother does not disturb me so much as when I killed that first woman. Once I assured him I was who he thought he began to speak, as I speak to you now… telling me how he has tracked me since our last visit, this time he had acquired men and brought his eldest son along. How after three full moons he was angry with me, slowly he withdrew his weapon, telling me about the fact that I should have gone with him when he offered to take me alive to the capital city… and how he was going to make sure I die this time. You were there weren't you? That small red headed child standing behind the tree… how humans age so quickly…" she sighed as though she were merely reminiscing, and not telling the perverse tale that she was. "You watched me kill your father and brother didn't you?"

She bowed her head, almost embarrassed; "So you know this tale as well as I do I'm sure, though you have painted me as the bad guy who murdered your family. Regardless of the fact that it was your family that searched for me hunted me down and tried to kill me… I was trying to protect myself from them… and you watched them poison bob didn't you? You watched what they did to my only friend.

Shoving an arrowhead deep with in her, only after dipping it in a poisonous powder, which they also tried to kill me with. Once all had fallen it was to late, I tried to heal the wound but I did not yet know the dangers poison brings when trying to heal a wound. I pulled the arrowhead out but as I closed the wound quickly her blood began to flow again, and she seamed to be all right for only a moment.

As I thought about that moment over time I know now what went wrong… what happened and caused her to fall over turning the moment of happiness and relief into a dreaded fearful time. That would last until today… this was only two days before I was going to go to my mother's grave. It seams that these times in the summer when I should have been enjoying growing a year older I have been condemned by the goddess to live a life of misery. I cleared out the bodies, and buried bob there… over flowing with sadness I cursed my brother and my existence…

Sure there had been people who tried to travel with me, and be kind… but all of those people died every last one of them. And until the end I never trusted them… I despised their treachery that never existed. Their sacrilegious words spewing through their mouths, 'I would never betray you Cora.' 'I travel with you because you are my friend.' Their words were useless in my mind, after all had big brother not promised me he would always protect me, given his oath to me that he would never hurt me. But after all was said and done bob was the only one I truly ever trusted, the only one I could allow my heart to trust. I hated your father and your brother… I still do. I can not heal the wounds of poison because the magic I use heals the wounds by speeding up the natural healing process. Not by cleansing the wound… thus the outer wound was healed and the poison now had free reign to course more swiftly through bob's body." Cora had taken a seat with her back leaning against the wall of a building that they stood near, they were in the outskirts of the town of Yokohama and the building Cora sat against was that of the jail.

"You know, I have no reason to continue living except to only cause more pain in peoples lives?" she asked this question looking out into the distance, one knee bent up and her arm resting on it as she picked apart a piece of grass in her hands. The other leg stretched out before her as though she hadn't a care in the world, especially about the fact that she might die that day. "It seams you are right, I had no point except to postpone my own death. Even if I could take you in a moment… why is it people like you with no strength seek me out only to disappoint my supposed blood lust, yes that's it, that's how you people see me. As this vile creature with this terrible lust for blood and killing…" she expressed a mock frown and then smiled laughing a little, "tell me, why if you know you are going to die, just as miserably as the rest would you go in search of death herself?"

Cora awaited an answer and when the girl did not reply she spoke again, "you and so many others, all so clueless… valiant in courage, and decent in strength. But yet they are clueless to the art of war… I do not train myself for practice I do not wake in the morning every day to swing my sword at the air to keep in shape. I fight those that wish to take my life; I practice by killing those who would otherwise kill me. And the reason is purely survival, I do not train for splendor or valor… even vanity is not an issue. I train to live another day.

People who fight for higher are no more then a woman who glance at themselves in front of a store window. They do it all for the vanity, all for the image of strength, and yet if you place them in a situation where they need to survive, they do not. They die by the hands of those that they thought were weaker, only because the weaker party had a will to survive while those who are vain will do anything to look good in the eyes of people."

"I did not come here to fight for higher, I didn't come here to fight you for a title or reward. I came here in the name of revenge… you killed my father and brother… and you deserve death for this alone. Today you have explained to me how every thing happened… but yet you hesitate to tell me why. You say its all this persons fault or another's, but you do not explain why you killed them all, how could you kill so many?"

"You want me to explain this crazy old mind? You want me to explain why I killed them… survival it is as simple as that. Even in that split second before I shoved this very dagger into my own brother's heart, I did it in fear of my own death along with my hate for him…"

"Survival? You say you needed to survive but why? What was so important for you to survive for, why did you need to carry on? Your revenge had been exacted and the only thing you caused was pain and suffering, why is it that you had to survive?" the woman questioned her in the most quizzical manner, the logic Cora had used only served to confuse her further.

"Because, you see… my goal of retribution was not solely upon my brother… but the foul man who took my goddess from me deserved death as well. You see I had it in my crazy mind that I could defeat this man. Though he is one of few that I cannot. Just as you have no hope of defeating me if I decide to fight you."

"I don't care what you think will happen, I will defeat you before I fall to death. I will kill you and have my revenge. Weather you fight me or not."

"Then why haven't you done it yet… why haven't you killed me yet? My story is told, and I'm just sitting here, you could kill me at any moment. Why haven't you?" Cora asked as though she was begging for death, begging for the sword to strike through her.

"You speak as though killing you would be a gift from the heavens… you act as though it is the one thing I could do to bring peace to your life… though if I let you live I know you would kill more. That's your nature isn't it?"

"Goddess how I love the way you stereo type me as this vile evil being… who kills with no mercy, do you honestly believe I enjoy death all that much, those that do not deserve to die, should not die at my hands, nor at any one's hands."

"you try to rationalize things... you vile creature!" she lunged at cora though cora caught the blade in one hand, cutting it down the palm. she grimaced in pain as she withdrew her dagger with her other hand and jabbed it into the stomach of the woman.

an expression of pure sorrow, "you'll be alright." the amount of blood lost from the stab was surprising. she quickly fell to her knees, muttering, "so this is how i die." a morbid smile cast across her face with the realization.

a few hours later she awoke, not on the cold hard ground, but in a bed, a very warm bed she wasn't in pain and every thing seamed at peace. when she sat up she realized where the wound had been was a bandage. she looked around it was definitely not a healers hut, but some random place... everything she remembered witnessing, wasn't a dream... it couldn't be... it was all to real. had the woman really not killed her? was it a mistake? what had happened?

a note sat upon a nightstand that had been scooted over next to the bed, she lifted it ever so carefully reading what it said. _If you are so willing to follow the path that i travel, then I ask of you never to hesitate and never look back… for looking back causes pain I can not describe… always move forward_


End file.
